The Israeli military authorities closed with cement blocks Sunday night the main entrance to the northern Jerusalem town of al-Ram under the pretext Palestinian youth throw stones at Israeli soldiers from that area, according to al-Ram mayor Sarhan Salaymah. An al-Ram resident was recently shot and killed in that area during a demonstration against the Israeli occupation.

Salaymah said closing the main northern entrance, which was completed only recently, will have serious effect on the mobility of 60,000 residents of the town, as well as on economic and trade activities and social life.

“The town has become a big prison,” said Salaymah, adding that residents will have to use other more distant roads to reach Ramallah or travel north or south of the West Bank.

He described such Israeli measures as acts of collective punishment and vengeance that aim to impose more restrictions on the residents.

The town council plans to discuss this issue and ways to reopen the entrance. The town, which was at one point a hub of activity and a main Jerusalem area commercial and residential center, was cut off from Jerusalem when Israel built a five-meter high concrete wall around it several years ago virtually shutting down its southern entrance.

The northern entrance was rehabilitated following the construction of the wall to allow easy access to Ramallah and Jerusalem.

8 apr 2012

The Zionist entity prevents a German writer from entering Palestine

The Interior Ministry in the Zionist entity on Sunday (8-4) prevented a German writer who is a Nobel Peace Prize Laureate from entering the occupied territories, because of his poem in which he criticized the practices of the Zionist entity.

Gunter Grass has published last Wednesday a poem entitled, «What Must Be Said» in which he said that the Zionist nuclear weapons endanger world peace, and called to put the nuclear facilities of the Zionist entity and Iran under international supervision.

The Interior Minister in the Zionist entity Eli Yishai banned the entry of the German intellectual and writer Gunter Grass because of his poem, basing his decision on what he called a Zionist law to prevent the "ex-Nazis" from the entry to the Zionist entity.

Yishai said that if Gunter wanted to continue to disseminate his perverse and false works, it is in Iran where he can find a supporting audience.

The German poet has started his poem addressing a question to himself, saying, "My speech, now at this late age and written with the last drops of ink in my pen is about what is known about a country with a growing number of nuclear warheads that has existed beyond supervision.

Grass warned of the West German solidarity with the occupation authorities that may cause the promotion of a military nuclear strike against Iran.

Furthermore, Grass criticized his country's sale of highly sophisticated submarines to the Zionist entity, and warned that these submarines are able to annihilate all what they encounter in a country where not a single atom bomb has yet been proved to exist, and that "will make the providers of these materials participants in this crime when it occurs."

7 apr 2012

IOA imposes hermetic closure on West Bank

The Israeli occupation authority has imposed a hermetic closure on the West Bank on Saturday and Sunday on the occasion of the Jewish Passover.

The Yediot Ahronot website said on Friday that no traffic would be allowed in or out of the West Bank unless for humanitarian and medical conditions that the civil administrative approve.

The paper said that thousands of Israeli policemen would be deployed on roads, entertainment sites, and Jewish synagogues.

Israel's military on Thursday issued a closure order affecting crossings into and out of the occupied West Bank, ahead of a Jewish holiday.

"In accordance with the directives of the Minister of Defense and as part of the situation assessments in the IDF, a general closure will be implemented in the Judea and Samaria region," a statement said.

The closure will begin late Thursday and be lifted late Saturday "in accordance with security assessments," the military said.

"For the duration of the closure, persons in need of medical attention, humanitarian aid or exceptional cases will be permitted to pass for care, with the authorization of the Civil Administration."

Three Palestinian children died in Deir Al-Balah in central Gaza Strip on Sunday night after their family home caught fire, medical sources said.

The civil defense department said that the fire started when a candle ignited petrol in their home and led to the tragedy.

Adham Abu Salmiya, the spokesman for the higher committee of ambulance and emergency, said that the death of the three siblings, Sabri, Nadin, and Farah, was the result of the power crisis in Gaza.

He held those blockading the enclave responsible for the death of the three children, and asked the international organizations to assume their duties toward the humanitarian tragedy befalling the Strip.

Gaza Strip has been suffering a power crisis for more than a month and people resort to candles as a source of light as power outages reach around 18 hours per day.

Bardawil: Blocking fuel supplies into Gaza a crime against humanity

Dr. Salah Al-Bardawil, a Hamas leader, has urged all parties, especially Egypt, to shoulder their responsibilities in providing the besieged Gaza Strip with necessary fuel supplies and power.

He said in a statement at a late night hour on Sunday that the death of the three children in Deir Al-Balah due to power outage was ringing an alarm bell.

He charged that cutting fuel and power supply to Gaza was tantamount to war crimes and a crime against humanity.

Bardawil pointed to the growing number of people in Gaza who die as a result of the power crisis, especially children and the sick people.

“We demanded the immediate supply of fuel from Egypt or allowing supplies from other Arab countries to enter Gaza to avert a greater humanitarian disaster in the enclave,” he added.

Three Palestinian children died in their father’s home in Deir Al-Balah in central Gaza, which caught fire, on Sunday night. The children were using candles as a source of light due to the power outage and the candles ignited petrol in the house starting a big fire.

27 mar 2012

Website of Shihab news agency hacked

Computer hackers managed to get into the backend of the Shihab news agency website and sent concocted news reports to the subscribers, the news agency said suspecting that the hackers are affiliated with Fatah.

Sources at Shihab told PIC correspondent on Tuesday that computer hackers suspected to be affiliated with Fatah broke into their system and sent a message to subscribers denying the truth of the report published one day earlier about a meeting that took place between agents of the Jordanian, Egyptian, PA, Israeli and US intelligence in Amman and agreed on a plan to tighten the siege on Gaza to force Hamas to compromise.

The sources said that they believe it was Fatah hackers who were behind this because they want to blur matters to “cover Fatah's crime in conspiring against Gaza."

The source added that its engineers are following the matter to secure their servers and confirmed the report that it published on 26 March and the authenticity of the documents published with the report.

Palestinian exports decreased in January by 7.8% compared to December, while imports to the Palestinian Territory increased by 6.3% in the same period, a report by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) said Monday.

Exports decreased by 7.5% compared in January and reached $61.7 million, it said.

Exports to Israel decreased by 5.2% and exports to other countries decreased by 22% in January compared to December, said PCBS, adding that exports to Israel represented 87% of total January exports.

While imports in January increased by 6.3% compared to December reaching $338.2 million, it decreased by 28.1% compared to January.

Imports from Israel, which represented 64% of total January imports, decreased by 0.5% compared to December, whereas imports from other countries increased by 21% in the same period, said PCBS.

A nurse tends to a baby inside an incubator in a hospital in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip March 24, 2012.

Officials in the Gaza Strip have announced that a four-year-old girl has died due to power outage in a hospital in the besieged coastal area, Press TV reports.

The Ministry of Health in Gaza said on Monday that the four-year-old child died as a result of failure in hospital back-up generators, a Press TV correspondent reported.

On Friday, an infant also died in the coastal enclave after the generator powering his respirator ran out of fuel.

The Israeli blockade of Gaza has inflicted many sufferings, including fuel shortages on Palestinians.

Gaza has been relying on fuel imported from Egypt, but Cairo has recently cut off the supplies, causing 18-hour-a-day power cuts. Prolonged power outages caused by shortage of fuel continue to take their toll on hospital patients in the Gaza Strip.

Last week, thousands of people staged a protest in the Gaza Strip and called on Egypt to resume the flow of fuel to the besieged territory. Gaza doctors urge Cairo to solve power crisis Dozens of doctors, paramedics, and ambulance drivers working in Gaza hospitals asked Cairo to pump fuel into the Gaza Strip to end its power and fuel crisis that threatens a big humanitarian tragedy.

The call was voiced during a sit-in staged at the gate to the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt.

Dr. Fuad Najm delivered a speech on behalf of the medical services asking the Egyptian authorities to end the siege on Gaza and to supply badly needed fuel. “Gaza is not on another planet”.

He also asked the Red Cross, the World Health Organization, and human rights groups to rush to the rescue of the Gaza patients who are in danger of imminent death due to the lack of fuel and repeated power outages.UPDATE: Hamas blames fuel shortage for Gaza baby's death

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — A Gaza man said Sunday his 5-month-old baby died two days ago after the generator powering his respirator ran out of fuel, but the report was called into question after it emerged that the timing of the baby's death was misrepresented.

The baby's death — which was confirmed to The Associated Press by a man identified as the father and a Gaza hospital official — would have been the first linked to the territory's energy crisis, and the report appeared to be an attempt by Gaza's Hamas rulers to use it to gain sympathy.

However, the AP later learned that news of Mohammed Helou's death first appeared March 4 in the local Arabic-language newspaper Al-Quds, in an article written by a relative of the bereaved family. . .

The Al-Quds article contained the same details as the one recounted by the Helou family on Sunday, saying Mohammed died from choking on his own phlegm. The story quoted that father as saying their generator ran out of fuel, causing their son's respirator to stop working and ultimately causing the baby to choke to death.

The fuel crisis was relevant in early March as well, but Hamas apparently missed the report in Al-Quds — a publication considered loyal to its rival, Fatah — and Hamas was now trying to recycle the story to capitalize on the family's tragedy.

Confronted by the AP with the newspaper story, the family and Hamas Gaza health official Bassem al-Qadri continued to insist the baby arrived dead at a Gaza City hospital on Friday night.

Diaa Hadid@diaahadid bit.ly/GQMAz9 Hamas misrepresented a story. Two Hamas officials misled us and so did the family.Tikun Olam@richards1052 @diaahadid Sorry 2 hear that. Bummer. But glad u clarified truth.Diaa Hadid@diaahadid @richards1052 One of the worst days of my professional life, because I am obsessive about checking and cross checking.

Popular Committees Preparations of Struggle Against Occupation, Including Global March to Jerusalem

The High Follow-Up Popular Resistance Commission during a regular meeting held this afternoon at the Office of mobilization and organization in Ramallah in the presence of the Popular Resistance coordinators from different sites called to broader popular participation in the activities of "Land Day" which falls on the thirtieth of this month.

The commission reviewed all the preparations undertaken by the Popular Committees in positions of popular struggle against the occupation.

The meeting also addressed the need to organize the largest possible number of popular rallies in all Palestinian sites as a fulfillment for each drop of blood bled from a martyr or wounded and to every prisoner's sigh lost freedom while defending our land to preserve its Arab identity.

The Commission emphasized on the need for an active popular participation in the CENTRAL PEACEFUL MARCHES " THE GLOBAL MARCH TO JERUSALEM" which begins after Friday prayers at 12:30 at Qalandia military checkpoint the North Gate of Jerusalem, the march of Bethlehem next to the apartheid wall, the march in our capital Jerusalem which will start marching from Damascus gate, as well as the march of our people in the occupied Palestine in 48 in Sakhnin and Deir Hanna, all these marches will coincide with the Global March to Jerusalem which will be launched in a number of Arab and international countries the same time.

In the same context, the Commission called on to actively participate in the olive planting activity in the Kafr Edik threatened land on Thursday, 3/29/2012 at 11 noon, the martyrs and land day activity in the village of Nabi Saleh on Friday 30.3.2012, in addition to the central activity marking the "Land Day" in Beit Omar town on Saturday, 31/3/2012 at one o'clock afternoon.

The commission also valued the outstanding efforts made by the people of Kafr Kadoum who stood up in face of the occupier to defend their land and dignity and condemned the brutal methods used by the Israeli occupation. At the same framework the commission called the parties leaderships to actively participate in the activities of popular resistance and to activate the regulatory decisions in this regard which will reflect significantly on the ground.

The commission called the government to provide the necessary financial and moral support to support the citizens' steadfastness on their land and to reinforce their peaceful resistance to the unprecedented settlement attack. In the prisoners' case, the commission pointed out the seriousness of the situation inside the Israeli occupation prisons, especially after the health status deterioration of the captive Hana Al-Shalabi,Kefah Hattab and the rest of the prisoners who are on hunger strike, in addition to the suppression of the prisoners and forcing them to do DNA tests.

A nurse tends to a baby inside an incubator in a hospital in Khan Younis in the southern Gaza Strip March 24, 2012.

A seven-month-old baby in Gaza died on Friday evening after medical equipment he was connected to switched off as a result of a power cut, a Hamas-affiliated TV channel said.

Gaza medical spokesman Adham Abu Salmiya confirmed the incident, adding that the infant was born with respiratory problems and doctors had recommended the use of mechanical breathing apparatus to be used at home.

The father of the child had turned on the apparatus before going to sleep but during the night a power cut caused it to switch off, resulting in the infant's death, Hamas' Al-Aqsa TV reported.

The child was the "first victim of the current power crisis in Gaza," Abu Salmiya said, warning that the medical sector in the coastal enclave is in jeopardy.

Recent fuel shortages have had a catastrophic effect on daily life in the Gaza Strip, with people facing daily power cuts of up to 18 hours a day.

A police officer guards as Palestinians wait to fill-up their motorcycles with fuel at a petrol station in Khan Younis in southern Gaza on March 22.

Israel has opened a key crossing point to allow a large shipment of industrial fuel into the Gaza Strip, Palestinian and Israeli officials said Friday.

The move was intended to alleviate an energy crisis brought about by a dispute between Hamas and Egypt, an Israeli official said.

Nathmi Mhanna, a Palestinian Authority border official in Gaza, told Ma'an that Israel agreed to let the fuel tankers cross Kerem Shalom following intervention by officials in Ramallah and Cairo.

The fuel will restart Gaza's sole power plant, said Ahmad Abu al-Amarin, a spokesman for the energy authority. "We were informed that 450,000 liters of fuel will be sent to the electricity station," he said.

But al-Amarin warned the shipment will only power the plant for one day. Another Palestinian official said contacts were under way to arrange an additional delivery on Friday.

The morning's delivery was the first to Gaza's power station via Israel in almost a year after Hamas seemed to back down on its insistence that such deliveries be sent via the southern crossing with Egypt.

Guy Inbar, a spokesman for the Israeli military division responsible for coordinating access to and from Gaza, confirmed the shipment of fuel purchased by the Palestinian Authority from Dor Alon, an Israeli company.

He said Israeli Maj.-Gen. Eiton Dangot approved the opening of Kerem Shalom as a special case because the terminal is typically closed on Fridays. The PA made the request on Thursday and Dangot agreed to open the terminal on Friday in light of the crisis, Inbar told Ma'an.

The request was the first since January 2011, Israeli army records show.

Friday's delivery followed "intensive and successful contacts" between the PA, Egypt and Israel, said Raed Fattouh, the PA official in charge of coordination with Israel over the passage of supplies into Gaza.

The fuel crisis has crippled Gaza in recent weeks. Petrol pumps have run dry and its 1.7 million residents suffer major electricity blackouts.

A rocky relationship between Egypt and Hamas has bolstered the crisis, but Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said Friday that negotiations with Egypt had helped to resolve the crisis.

"We were informed by the Egyptians that fuel would be transferred to Gaza on Friday, and that is what's happening at the moment," he said, adding that talks about long-term arrangements are ongoing.

The crisis stems from a dispute over Cairo's insistence that fuel imports to Gaza pass through Kerem Shalom, which is controlled by Israel, as Egyptian security forces crack down on smuggling from the Sinai.

Hamas objects. It is opposed to giving Israel the opportunity to block supplies in times of tension and wants direct trade with Egypt, a move that could strengthen Gaza's economy and Hamas' popularity.

Egyptian officials say Hamas' preferred terminal, Rafah, is equipped for pedestrians, and fuel deliveries could pose a safety risk. International agreements also specify Kerem Shalom as the entry point, they say.

22 mar 2012

IOA blocks travel of second deputy PLC speaker

The Israeli occupation authority (IOA) blocked the travel of second deputy speaker of the Palestinian legislative council (PLC) Hassan Khreisha via Karame crossing to Jordan.

Khreisha told Quds Press that he was supposed to travel to Jordan on Wednesday en route to Morocco to attend the Euro Mediterranean parliamentary assembly, which is attended by MPs from 42 countries.

The Tulkarem MP said that he was detained for five hours at the crossing before he was forced to turn back home without being given a reason for the step.

He said that the IOA has been blocking his travel for more than five years, charging that the act fell in line with the constant targeting of PLC members as the IOA does not want the world to hear their voice that would convey the truth about what is happening in the Palestinian land.

Khreisha regretted the fact that the Palestinian Authority was not budging to protest such acts, and questioned the fact that the IOA does not block the PA officials who travel to attend negotiations or give concessions.

The European Union contributed 13 million euros ($17.2 million) to upgrade the sole goods crossing into the Gaza Strip, a press statement said Monday.

A further 22 million euros ($29.1 million) of EU funds will be used to build a medium scale wastewater treatment plant in the Tubas area.

"Fully aware of the scarcity of water resources in the occupied Palestinian territory, the EU has identified water as one of the focal sectors of its assistance," Ashton said.

"The upgrading of the Kerem Shalom crossing point allows for an increased movement of goods in and out of the Gaza Strip," she added.

The Gaza Strip is squeezed by an Israel blockade, and after the closure of three crossings, the southern Kerem Shalom terminal is the sole access point for goods into Gaza. The crossing with Egypt is only equipped for passengers.

Work on the crossing under the EU project -- which will be conducted by the PA in coordination with Israel -- will build and expand infrastructure including loading and inspection areas and warehouses, as well as providing IT equipment.

EU Foreign Affairs chief Catherine Ashton signed the two agreements with PA Prime Minister Salam Fayyad in Brussels on Monday, ahead of a meeting of donors to Palestine in the city.

The PA issued its report to the Ad Hoc Liaison Committee on Monday, calling for more support to invest in Area C, the 62 percent of the West Bank under full Israeli control.

Palestinians "cannot simply wait for the conclusion of peace negotiations to reverse this de-development and destruction of livelihoods' by the Israeli occupation," the report says.

The Israeli occupation authority and its forces refused on Sunday to allow Hamas lawmaker Ibrahim Dahbour to travel abroad.

MP Dahbour was on his way to Geneva to join a Palestinian parliamentary delegation invited by the international network for rights and development to participate in a conference, sponsored by the UN human rights council, on Israel's violations against Palestinian lawmakers.

The lawmaker told the Palestinian information center (PIC) that Israeli soldiers at Al-Karama crossing informed him that he was banned from travel for security reasons.

It was not the first time he was banned from traveling outside the occupied Palestinian territories, the MP affirmed.

He added that Israel does not want the Palestinian lawmakers to be in contact with the international community and have the chance to explain and rally support for their national cause.

18 mar 2012

Askool: Egyptian intelligence blocking fuel supplies to Gaza

The secretary of the Gaza council of ministers, Dr. Mohammed Askool, charged Egyptian intelligence with blocking the entry of fuel shipments to the Gaza Strip.

Askool told Palestine newspaper published on Sunday that the energy and natural resources authority in Gaza had transferred the sum of two million dollars to the Egyptian petroleum company as a payment in advance for the supply of fuel to Gaza power station.

He said that the Egyptian intelligence told the Gaza authority that it should transfer the fuel transportation means to Karm Abu Salem crossing, which is under Israeli control, in order to receive the shipments.

Askool affirmed that the intelligence’s request was absolutely rejected for political, technical, and administrative reasons.

The cabinet secretary said that the agreement between the Gaza authority and the Egyptian company stipulated that the fuel shipments would be supplied via the Rafah border terminal.

He urged the Egyptian government to pressure its intelligence into allowing the fuel supplies through Rafah crossing to re-operate the power station that has been shut down for more than a month and alleviate the suffering of the Palestinian people.

Askool hoped that a breakthrough in the power crisis would be imminent, expressing confidence that the Arab people would pressure their governments to end the crisis once and for all.

Power is out 18 hours daily in the Gaza Strip as a result of the fuel shortage.

17 mar 2012

Sit-in staged at Rafah terminal asking Egypt to end Gaza fuel, power crisis

Palestinian citizens and notables staged a sit-in at the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and Gaza on Saturday demanding an end to the fuel and power crisis.

They also asked the Egyptian authority to link its national grid to Gaza electricity network.

Mansour Breik, the head of a popular committee in Rafah, said that the power crisis, which has been plaguing the Strip for the past month, had negatively affected the people’s needs.

He urged Cairo to adopt a political decision ending once and for all the Gaza power crisis.

16 mar 2012

300 Organizations Sign Document to Condemn Israeli Occupation

On Thursday March 15, at a UN Human Rights Council conference, 300 international organizations signed during, a call for Israel to lift the restrictions on the Palestinians' movement in the West Bank.

The conference that was held on Wednesday March 14 in Geneva presented information on the Israeli violations in the Palestinian occupied territories. The Euro-Mediterranean Observatory for Human Rights was the main spokesman about these violations.

The regional director for the Observatory, professor Amani al-Sinwar, spoke of the gravest Israeli contraventions of human rights that were committed against Palestinians. Special focus was on the recent processes on Gaza Strip, and what Palestinians suffer as a result of the unjustified Israeli restrictions that aim to control Palestinians lives.

She also talked about the Palestinians who Israel has banned from travelling in the West Bank, of which there is around 4,000 cases from the past year.

She submitted her recommendations for the Human Rights Council and other international organisations, in order to put pressure on Israel to remove the imposed restrictions on the Palestinians' movement.

In response, 300 non-government organisations adopted the recommendations. The report, as a document issued by the Human Rights Council, is to be sent for consideration to the General Assembly of the UN and to its Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, in order to put the case of the Palestinians who were banned from travelling on the negotiation table, and to find legal solution for it.

The organisations considered the Israeli violations in banning Palestinians from travelling, targeting academics and prisoners, and evacuating Jerusalem of Arabs, which contravene international law and should be recognised and condemned.

For the second year running a unique event took place in the Palestinian town of Bethlehem this week. Christian evangelicals, who many consider as the most ardent supporters for Israel (often more so than many Israelis), were guests of a Palestinian Christian gathering.

The 'Christ at the Checkpoint' conference, sponsored by Bethlehem Bible College, hosted over 600 evangelicals from around the world, but primarily from the US. Among the leading evangelicals attending this Palestinian-sponsored event were Rev. Joel Hunter, the spiritual adviser to US President Barack Obama, theologian Tony Campollo, social activists Ron Sider and Lyn Hybes, British pastor Stephen Sizer, community leader Shahen Claiborne, Messianic leader Wayne Hilsden and Asian reverend Sang-Bok David Kim.

Before it opened at the Jacir Palace Intercontinental Hotel, the conference, both organizers and guests, were the subject of multi-pronged attacks. Speakers were pressured not to attend with hundreds of e-mails and phone calls, with accusations that by participating they are giving legitimacy to an anti-Israeli and anti-Semitic gathering.

Two rabbis who work on interfaith issues at the Wiesenthal Center scathingly attacked the conference as potentially shaking up the foundations of the most effective supporters to Israel. Writing in The Jerusalem Post, rabbis Abraham Cooper and Yitzchok Adlerstein said that the conference is "taking dead aim at Israel's single largest and most reliable supporter: Tens of millions of evangelical Christians who have stood with the Jewish state since day one."

They concluded that if the conference achieves even some of its aims, "the consequences will be disastrous for Israel and world Jewry."

Those articles and more produced a level of intellectual terrorism not known within Christian circles that believe in dialogue amongst fellow believers.

Perhaps the hardest hit group were Christian leaders of Jewish origin. Messianic Jews intending to attend were severely targeted and accused of giving legitimacy to an anti-Israel event. They came nevertheless and said that they felt welcomed and respected.

The conference was not an anti-Israel event by any means. Its power derived more from challenging some current theological interpretations than from being a political discourse.

Most of the sessions included debates over rather complicated terminology, for example, of strict versus progressive dispensationalism -- a system of prophetic theology in which Israel is greatly featured as part of God's will in the end times, or answers to questions (like do Palestinian Christians cause a problem to Christian Zionism, what is the biblical theology of the land, is the opposite of Christian Zionism replacement theology, how does theology affect policy).

Not that the conference ignored the Palestinian reality. Opening the conference, Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad and Mayor of Bethlehem Victor Batarseh welcomed the international guests and impressed on them the Palestinian aspiration to live in freedom and peace alongside Israel. Fayyad talked about the importance of nonviolence and the need to support peace with justice.

The speakers were disarming. An olive branch was extended especially to Israeli messianic leaders and it seemed to produce an unusually warm atmosphere.

Besides attending the conference, most of the international guests were given alternative tours that including visits to various Palestinian communities affected by the Israeli occupation, including families whose land is off-limits because of the Israeli wall and Christian Palestinian families who are suffering because of the continued Israeli occupation.

Most of the participants who attended the conference appeared to have reached the conclusion that it is unacceptable to mix theology with politics and to try to use some isolated texts from the Bible to justify Israeli actions. But what the conference seems to have done is to strengthen and sharpen various arguments that debunk the myths that many consider is the stereotypical position of Christian evangelicals.

In addition to theological discussions, the conference gave participants a unique perspective on Palestine and Palestinian Christians. To many evangelicals, the conference provided a powerful human aspect that makes it impossible for them to continue to divorce some interpretations of Christian theology from their effect on real people, in fact on people who share similar biblical beliefs.

Hardcore evangelicals, televangelists and generally Christian Zionists will undoubtedly continue exhibiting clear bias vis-à-vis Palestinians and be in favor of some messianic solution to the conflict, that does not include any Palestinian, whether Christian or Muslim.

However, the ability to deny the suffering and to claim that "we didn't know" is becoming increasingly more difficult.

The 'Christ at the Checkpoint' conference was streamed live and participants will no doubt return to their churches in the West with a different message: that to have peace is to have justice and that peace and justice are the cornerstone of the Christian faith, irrespective of the theological spin Christian Zionists have tried to put on it.

Daoud Kuttab is a Palestinian journalist and former Ferris professor of journalism at Princeton University. He was the director of Al Quds Educational Television until 2007.

Israeli authorities will close Kerem Shalom crossing on the Gaza border for the Jewish holiday Purim, Palestinian officials said.

Liaison official Raed Fattouh told Ma'an the crossing will close on Thursday and reopen Sunday.

Kerem Shalom is the only operating terminal for goods to enter Gaza on the Israeli border.

Gaza energy authority: Rafah area ready to receive fuel from Egypt

The authority of energy and natural resources in Gaza said it completed the technical procedures for receiving the fuel supplies through Rafah border area according to the agreement signed the Egyptian side.

Spokesman for the energy authority Ahmed Abul Amrin said everything is technically ready to receive the Egyptian diesel fuel in a location in Rafah area and the authority is waiting for the Egyptian side to fulfill what was agreed upon.

The spokesman, however, said the authorities in Gaza have no idea when the Egyptian side would start to implement the agreement and provide the Gaza power plant with its fuel needs.

He noted that the authority managed to get small amounts of fuel through Rafah underground tunnels that would help it to operate one plant generator.

A number of Palestinian patients from the besieged Gaza Strip appealed to the Egyptian authorities to swiftly supply Gaza power plant with fuel.

This came in a sit-in organized by patients outside the Egyptian embassy in Gaza. The patients carried banners urging Egyptian leaders to end Gaza power crisis.

They hoped that Gaza would be connected with Egypt's regional electric network to alleviate once and for all the suffering of Gaza people especially the patients whose lives in constant risk because of the shortage of fuel supplies used to generate power.

For its part, the health ministry in Gaza urged the Egyptian authorities to hasten to supply the Gaza power plant with its needs of diesel fuel as it promised, warning that the medical situation in Gaza is so difficult that it cannot endure further delay.

It stated in a press release that the aggravating fuel and power crisis threatens the lives of more than 100 premature babies in incubators and hundreds of patients whose lives depend on electric appliances used in intensive care units, dialysis units and operation rooms.

In a related incident, all the Gaza Strip gas stations stopped their fuel services and streets are almost empty of vehicles, while the Egyptian authorities have not allowed any fuel shipments into Gaza for about one month.

This situation is similar to the one that took place in Gaza before Israel's war in 2008 when all aspects of life were paralyzed by the refusal of the former regime in Egypt to provide Gaza with its fuel needs.

"Christ at the Checkpoint" Conference Addresses Challenges for Palestinian Church

Shireen Awwad Hilal

PNN Reporters/ Ella David and Kelly Lunde

On Monday 5th March, the opening night of Christ at the Checkpoint conference, 5 speakers spoke about different aspects of the Palestinian/Israeli conflict within the context of being a Christian.

The two themes of the evening that emerged were the need for increased understanding between Jews and Christians - inside and outside of Israel and Palestine - and how to respond to the Israeli occupation by considering 'what would Jesus do?'

Dr Hanna Issa, General Secretary of the Islamic-Christian Committee for Protecting Jerusalem and the Holy Sites, spoke of the decline of Christians in Jerusalem since the Palestinian 'al Nakba (the catastrophe) in 1948. In 1948 there were 29,000 Christians, now there are around 10,000. Issa appealed for Christians all over the world to support Christians in Jerusalem just as Muslims all over the world support Muslims in this city. He clarified that Christians in Palestine 'do not have a problem with the Jews...our problem is with the occupation'.

The Mayor of Bethlehem, Victor Batarseh, spoke about the Apartheid wall and its effect on Bethlehem city. He spoke about the wall being a seen wall yet, 'there are other walls in this world – walls of religion, race, gender... we want to break down all the seen and unseen walls in the world'. He thanked the delegates for 'breaking down the wall – not physically, but psychologically'. Batarseh continued, 'we live in a big prison in this city but as Muslims and Christians we always have hope.' He finished by saying that 'with your help we can achieve peace'.

Dr Jonathan Kuttab, Chairman of the Board of Bethlehem Bible College, spoke of the controversy that the Christ at the Checkpoint conference has caused among some Jewish groups, including Messianic Jews, Israeli groups and Israeli and Jewish media. He said that 'we've been accused of being enemies of Jews...some Jewish groups urged officials at Ben Gurion airport to prevent conference delegates and speakers from coming into Israel because some Evangelicals have been accused of being anti-Semitic'.

Kuttab acknowledged that it was therefore a risk that many people took to come to Palestine and that for many it was a difficult decision. He thanked everyone for coming despite these difficulties and remembered those who had decided not to come but who had expressed their solidarity with all those at the conference.

Rev. Joel Hunter

Kutab explained that the risk in coming to Palestine was that 'some of you may be educated, challenged or inspired to alter your views.

Therefore these false accusations of anti-Semitism will only increase'. He quoted the Bible passage Matthew 5:11 that speak of blessings coming to those who are falsely accused of wrong-doing.

The Keynote speech was delivered by Dr Bishara Awad, President of Bethlehem Bible College, and was entitled 'A testimony to God's faithfulness'. Awad spoke of how the Bible College came into being through telling the story of his childhood. He spoke of his admiration for his mother who brought up 7 children after his dad died in 1948. Awad testified how 'God healed me of hatred towards the Jewish people that I felt for many years, despite my mother's teachings of love and forgiveness'.

He reiterated what the other speakers had said, 'the point of this conference is not to point the finger at anyone... but to take an honest look at the conflict and how we should respond. The least we should do is to ask the question, what would Jesus do?' Awad acknowledged that this wasn't easy and asked 'how can we be peacemakers surrounded by such injustice? How can we give the message of peace, hope, and reconciliation?' Awad closed the opening celebration by saying that 'the purpose of this conference is not to dehumanise Israelis or Jews but to reach out to them to achieve a new level of understanding'.

Tuesday, March 6th marked the first full day of the Christ at the Checkpoint Conference. Seven speakers addressed approximately 600 attendees at the Intercontinental hotel in Bethlehem throughout the day with breaks for meals, question and answer sessions, refreshments and time for communal prayer.

The morning theme presented the historical context and present challenges of the Palestinian church with speakers Labeeb Madanat and Yohanna Katanocho opening the morning sessions. Palestinian pastors Munir Kakish and Nihad Salman also spoke on the specific challenges faced when pastoring a Christian church in the midst of conflict. Rev. Nihad Salman emphasized the importance of remaining in Palestine despite the difficulties and dangers citing the New Testament scripture of John 12:25.

Rev. Joel Hunter, American pastor of Northland Church in the state of Florida and spiritual advisor to U.S. President Barack Obama opened the afternoon with a speech on a Western reading of scripture. Shireen Awwad Hilal, former instructor at Bethlehem Bible College and Palestinian women's rights advocate spoke on feminist reading of several female biblical characters.

Samih Mouris, senior pastor of Kasr El Doubara Church in Cairo also addressed the audience via video interview due to his inability to travel to Bethlehem.

Shane Claiborne

Author, speaker and activist Shane Claiborne from the U.S. gave the impassioned keynote speech recounting the Christian scripture of Luke chapter 16 and giving an account of his travels to Iraq.

Claiborne expressed lament over what Christians seem to be known for most in the U.S.; being anti-gay, judgmental and hypocritical and juxtaposed it with what he expressed Christ is truly known for; love, grace and the kingdom of God being established on this earth.

The evening closed with an optional viewing of With God On Our Side, a documentary focusing on the unfortunate consequences of Christian Zionism and summarizing an alternative Christian theology to the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. A question and answer panel discussion with journalist Ben White, professor Gary M. Burge, author and church leader Stephen Sizer, activist and Bethlehem Bible College faculty member Salim Munayer and director and producer Porter Speakman Jr., all featured in the movie, concluded the evening.

Christ at the Checkpoint conference aims to provide an opportunity for Evangelical Christians to prayerfully seek a proper awareness of issues of peace, justice, and reconciliation in the context of the realities on the ground in the Palestinian Territories. The overall theme of the conference is Hope in the Midst of Conflict.

With two trucks of date bars, products made in Gaza reached the West Bank for the first time in five years on Monday.

The biscuits, destined for vulnerable children in the West Bank who receive food support from the UN World Food Program, are the first of 19 truckloads agreed by the Israeli authorities.

A rare exception to Israel's ban on Gazan exports to the West Bank, historically its main market, Israeli legal organization Gisha heralded the delivery as "an important step toward fulfilling the Israeli government's commitment to allow economic development for Palestinians living in Gaza."

But Gisha director Sari Bashi said it raised questions about the policy behind the export ban: "If marketing goods to the West Bank can be approved once, why can't it be allowed on a routine basis?"

The WFP had previously been forced to import date bars from Egypt or Turkey, but after six months of negotiation with Israeli authorities, the international agency was granted a permit to export from Gaza.

Increased production has already created 60 jobs at the factory in Gaza, and the WFP says it expects to inject more than $2 million into the Gaza economy as a result of the date bar project.

Gaza's economy has collapsed under an Israeli blockade that was tightened in 2007 after Hamas took power. Around 83 percent of Gaza's factories are idle or operating at less than half capacity, Gisha says.

Gaza's energy authority on Monday announced an agreement with Egypt to import fuel via the Rafah crossing to ease the power crisis.

The Hamas-run authority said Egypt's General Petroleum Authority would initially deliver diesel meant for cars through the terminal until industrial diesel could be transferred.

Pipes, pumps and tanks to receive the fuel will be prepared Tuesday morning, the Gaza authority said in a statement.

The announcement follows weeks of critical power shortages in the Gaza Strip. Since Egypt shut off fuel deliveries via underground tunnels in February, Gaza's power plant has shut down twice and the 1.7 million residents of the coastal strip face up to 18-hour blackouts each day.

Gaza Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh on Friday blamed Cairo for the outages and said Egypt controlled the flow of fuel into the enclave.

Egypt had told Hamas that in future it should import its oil through legal channels -- namely the Israeli-controlled Kerem Shalom border crossing.

But Haniyeh said he would not import fuel from Israel, which would be more expensive and vulnerable to Israeli sanctions.

"If someone fired a bullet three kilometers away from Kerem Shalom, the Israelis would close the crossing and prevent the entry of fuel," Haniyeh said.

3 mar 2012

Arab League calls for an immediate end to the siege on Gaza

The Arab League general secretariat on Thursday called for an immediate end of the siege imposed on the Gaza Strip for the past six years and called for the reopening of the border crossing.

This was in a report by the AL Secretary General, Nabil al-Arabi which was presented by the Deputy Secretary General for Palestinian and Arab occupied territories affairs, Muhammad Sabih, to the Arab affairs committee at the Egyptian parliament.

“The siege on the Gaza Strip is not legal and constitutes a flagrant violation of international law and Geneva conventions [..] Israel implemented a one-sided withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and besieged it making life for Gaza people very difficult for which the occupation authorities are fully responsible.” the report read

The report also talked of the effects of power cuts and the restrictions on importing fuel is having on hospital in the Strip and on the population their calling for international efforts to force the Israeli occupation to end such inhumane policies.

Arabi also said in the report that the 2005 border crossing agreement should be reviewed specially that the occupation authorities breached the agreement on numerous occasions.

He also said in the report that the agreement between Hamas and Fatah to form a national unity government under the premiership of Mahmoud Abbas as agreed in Doha should help to deal with half the effects of the siege on the Gaza Strip.

He added that implementing the Palestinian reconciliation should bring positive results for the Palestinian people including the rebuilding of the Gaza Strip which suffered great destruction during the Israeli war on it in 2008/2009.